The Senate has urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to continue paying the N35,000 wage award to workers following the yet-to-be-concluded negotiations on minimum wage.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio said this at the end of a four-hour closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and some ministers about the union’s planned industrial action.

Mr Akpabio also appealed to the union to shelve the proposed strike action in the interest of Nigerians and the nation.

“We have been making appeals and asked the NLC and TUC to shelve the proposed strike and return to the negotiating table to resolve the issue,” Mr Akpabio said. “I appeal that the strike be suspended for negotiations to continue in the interest of Nigerians and the nation.”

Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said the government’s position on the wage award was that it should continue the payment until the negotiations for the minimum wage are concluded.

Mr Idris said, “The position of government is that the federal government will continue to pay its workers the wage award of N35,000 that was started in October 2023 until a new wage regime is instituted.”

Following the lengthy conversation with the leadership of the National Assembly, organised labour, and the federal government delegation, he said he was optimistic that labour would suspend the proposed strike.

Given the economic challenges, he said that Nigeria could not afford to strike at this moment.

Mr Idris said all hands must be on deck to ensure the nation’s prosperity, as strike action was not the best option.

“And we have pleaded with labour to see reasons with the Federal Government and everybody while the strike cannot continue in the interest of everybody,” the minister added.

The minister said that the government was sensitive to the demand for labour and called on the unions to find reasons to heed the government’s request.

He said that Nigeria could not afford to pay an additional N9.5 trillion in financial burdens based on labour’s” demand of N494,000, which was made by labour as the minimum wage for workers.

However, TUC president Festus Osifo said both parties knew the issues. He said the union’s leadership did have the power to call off the strike, saying that there were processes involved in suspending industrial action.

“We have listened to them. We will take the request of the National Assembly leadership to our organs because we don’t have the power to call off the strike. The power to call off strikes lies with our organs, who would sit to decide,” Mr Osifo explained.

The meeting included the secretary to the government of the federation, George Akume, labour minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, finance minister Wale Edun, Mr Idris, budget minister Atiku Bagudu, and technology minister Uche Nnaji. Others were agric minister Aliyu Abdullahi, head of service of the federation Folasade Yemi-Esan, and NLC president Joe Ajaero.

(NAN)